Silent Moon
by Angelic Samurai
Summary: Under the light of a silent moon, one friend protects another from the black hand of death. However, would that friend take that fate instead? Slash.
1. Silent Moon I: Blood Soaked Embrace

**A/N: **Finally, inspiration hit me! I was listening to "Breaking the Habit" by Linkin Park while I was sleeping, which triggered, for some odd reason, scenes from the movie. That triggered this idea which grew slowly in my head until I had a whole fic idea swimming around in there! So, here it goes, and I hope you guys like it!

**Warning:** Shounen-ai which may (or may not) develop into Yaoi later on, depending on my mood and how far this goes. Also, OOCness may make itself present in this, but I hope it's not very much. I haven't read the book in nearly a year, so I'm just going from what I remember. The dream I had helped quite a bit, though.

**Pairing: **Dally/Pony.

Enjoy!

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Silent Moon I: Blood Soaked Embrace

He stole…again. After Johnny died, I guess Dally just lost it and robbed some random place. His voice sounded weak on the other end of the phone. It worried me that something had happened that he never told us. Maybe he had gotten hit while he was running from the cops? The "what if's" and the "maybe's" ran through my head until I felt the beginnings of a headache pound lightly in my skull. The injuries I got from the rumble earlier also started to make themselves more known. I felt blood trickle down the side of my face, but I ignored it. I just HAD to get to him before the cops did…I had to. I wasn't going to let him die over some idiotic mistake he made. No, not before I told him what had been eating me up inside for almost a year.

I heard the gang call after me, telling me to slow down, but I couldn't. My desire to save Dally pushed my legs faster, harder, and I ran faster than I had in my entire life, even during track competitions. Soon, the red and blue lights of the cop cars came into view, and I saw Dally run. I put my hands on my knees (which I could tell were bleeding because my jeans were soaked) and panted for a few minutes before running to where Dally was. I heard someone (I think it was one of my brothers, though I couldn't tell who) yelling at me to stop, but I couldn't. Even if I wanted to stop, my legs were moving all on their own. Running faster, harder, until my hands connected with Dally's chest. I pushed him away, and I saw his icy blue eyes widen with some emotion. Shock? I didn't have time to clarify the emotion as I felt a white hot pain in my stomach. I clutched the wound as blood started to trickle down my chin, but I could hear the cops talking with one another in shocked tones. I did hear one of them say "Greasers always look out for each other, but that guy doesn't look older than sixteen, if not younger…"

"What the fuck did you do that for, you stupid kid!" I heard Dally's voice scold me, but I didn't really care. If he was safe, that's all I cared about at the minute. "If you die, your brothers are goin' to have my head!"

I turned my head and forced myself to smile, even though I coughed up blood not even two seconds afterwards. "I'll…tell 'em not to take your head. It was…my decision, so…I'll make sure they don't kill ya for my decisions."

"Stupid, stupid kid…" Dally muttered to himself as he grabbed me with his arm as I started to stagger forward. "Why the hell did you that?"

I laughed painfully as more blood spluttered out of my mouth from the action. "Because…I didn't want ya to die, dumbass…"

Now, calling Dallas Winston a dumbass would most likely get you killed under normal circumstances, but I was hoping this didn't classify as "normal" circumstances. After all, I thought sarcastically, it wasn't every day that someone jumped in the way of a bullet to save their friend. I felt more than friendship for the icy eyed greaser, but I realized a few months ago that he most likely never returned what I felt, so I contented myself with just hanging around with him and Johnny whenever I had the chance to. I also had come to the realization that Dally only loved Johnny, whether it was just strong friendship or romantic. Either way, I knew that I probably could never compare to that, so I watched them silently on the sidelines.

"Ya know, if you weren't dying on my arm right now, I'd kill your ass for calling me that." Dally told me, smirking at me. A slight blush crept onto my face, something I hoped the blonde didn't notice, and bit back a rude reply. I did feel a little strange, though. My eyes were fluttering shut, I felt my body getting weaker, and it became hard to breathe. Every breath felt like I was going through a room full of spikes. "Shit, Pone. If you die now, how are you gonna save me from your brothers?"

I managed a weak smile at that. How Dally always managed to make a joke out of the most serious situations always baffled me, but it was a good kind of baffle. "I'll stick around…long enough to tell 'em not to kill ya….dig?"

"Yeah, I dig ya." The blonde replied, which caused me to blush once again. Why did my mind have to go to the other meaning of "dig"? "You're blushing why, kid?"

Shit. How the hell did he notice? I looked up and just now noticed that the streetlights gave Dally enough light to see my face. Groaning mentally, I realized that he probably saw my other blush from earlier as well. _Quick Ponyboy, think of an excuse. _"It's hot out?"

Dally raised an eyebrow at that. "Ya think I'm that stupid, Pone?"

_That didn't work. _I thought sarcastically to myself. I yearned to tell him the real reason, but at the same time, I didn't. The two bickered with each other inside my head, which made my headache even worse, until the second side won. _Great, now I have to think of another excuse._

Dally watched me fight internally with myself with an amused expression. "You can just tell me kid."

_Why does he have to make this so hard!_ I screamed in my head, but then winced. _Ouch. Note to self, don't scream in your head when you have a headache. It makes it twenty times worse._

"I don't have all day Pone, and looking at you, I'd say you don't either." The blonde broke the silence yet again, causing me to stare intently at him. "So come on, say it already."

I sighed to myself. Dally always gets what he wants in the end, and right now, I could tell that he wanted me to tell him what's on my mind before I… I didn't want to think about me following my friend in the afterlife. I managed to raise my hand just enough to place over Dally's, which caused him to raise an eyebrow in confusion. "You want to know…? I'll tell ya... Even though you're a jackass, I…love ya."

It was at that moment that my strength decided to leave me, and I closed my eyes to fall into the blissful nothingness.

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There ya have the first chapter. Hopefully this gave ya an idea about how the story is going to go from this point on, and that I caught your interest! If you caught any errors either with personality or typos, please say so! Thanks!


	2. Silent Moon II: I'm not worth it

**A/N: **I fell in love with my own story. Because of this, I'm glad that it received the feedback that it did. All the positive reviews make me want to write the next chapters even faster.

Thanks to xXSadistic BarbieXx, anon reviewer hauntedpumpkin56, PonyboySlashLover, JessieMundaiFan, and spiritmind675 for reviewing the previous chapter.

**Warning: **Shounen-ai which may (or may not) develop into Yaoi later on, depending on my mood and how far this goes. Also, OOCness may make itself present in this, but I hope it's not very much. I haven't read the book in nearly a year, so I'm just going from what I remember. The dream I had helped quite a bit, though.

This chapter contains the following: Mild swearing and mild violence.

**Pairing: **Dally/Pony, though side pairings may or may not show up later.

Enjoy!

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Silent Moon II: I'm not worth it…

I felt Pony's body go limp on my arm even before his eyes closed. What he told me before ran through my mind so fast that I never had time to stop and think about it. Ponyboy, the youngest of our gang, loved me, the blonde that stole, cursed, smoked, and above all, had a heart of ice? He was always strange, but what he did for me just now made him even stranger. He risked your life just to save mine. _You shouldn't do that, kid. I ain't worth risking your life over._

"Shit, now you can't defend me from the wrath of your brothers, can ya kid?" I joked, yet my only response was Pony's breathing, which sounded like he was fighting to even take a single breath into his lungs. "If you die Pone, I'm probably gonna follow ya. I can hold my own in a fight, yeah, but no one can fight Superman when he's pissed." That triggered some response from him, so I kept talking. "Your brothers really love ya, ya know. You're the baby of the family. If ya die trying to protect me, of all people, I doubt anyone can save me from their wrath. So come on, wake up before I join ya, eh?"

Very slowly, his greenish gray eyes fluttered open weakly. They looked dazed, confused, but the strongest emotion that stood out in those orbs was pain. Blood trickled down Pony's chin, almost like a river, and made a nice little pool below him of blood. There was another pool underneath Pony from the bullet in his stomach, which still bled like a waterfall. I vaguely realized that my arm was also soaked in his blood, but I didn't care at that point. I only cared about getting Pony to a hospital so that he wouldn't die. Sure, I didn't want to face the wrath of Superman, but I also didn't want the other youngest member of our gang to die, especially not over ME, of all people.

Blood sputtered out of Pony's mouth as he tried to say something, but I wiped it away with my hand and shook my head. "Don't waste your strength tryin' to talk to me, ya hear? Ya have to save it so you can live. After all, I really don't wanna die by the hands of Superman because ya died trying to talk to me. Dig?"

A weak smile went across the kid's face at that, and he gave me the thumbs up sign, which meant that he understood what I was sayin' to 'em. I smirked back at him as I heard the gang run over to us.

"Pony!" Soda exclaimed, grabbing the kid from my arm and cradling him in his own. "Honey, are you okay?"

The kid once again tried to say something, but blood prevented him from sayin' a word. "Don't try to make 'em talk. It'll waste what little strength the kid has in 'em."

In seconds, I was lying on the ground with a rapidly forming bruise on my cheek and a rather pissed off Darry standing over me. "How can you talk like that, like what's going on right now doesn't affect you at all? Pony risked his life to save yours, and right now, he could be dying, but you act like you don't give a shit."

I hoisted myself up and brushed my hand against my lips, which came back red. "I act like I don't give a shit, but of course I give a shit! Johnny just died, and now the youngest of our group could be dyin' because of me. Actin' like this is my way of dealing with these kinds of things."

Darry looked like he didn't believe me, but a pained gasp brought his attention elsewhere. "Don't... This was my decision, and I don't want Dally sufferin' for my decisions. Dig…?"

Superman sighed heavily and knelt down next to his baby brother. "I hear you baby, but…you could die because of his mistake."

The kid smiled a bit at that remark, and gripped his older brothers' hand with a weak grasp. "I know that, which is why…I did it. Ya know…he shouldn't die because of a mistake…he made because he was grieving for the loss of a loved one…dig?"

Superman simply nodded, while Soda gripped Pone even tighter. "Promise us honey that you won't die. Or at least fight it until you can't anymore." Tears fell from his eyes, which the kid wiped away with his hand and with a nod, he passed out again and went completely limp. "Pony? Pony!"

I placed a fist against my forehead and closed my eyes. "Fuck, kid…I ain't worth dyin' over…I ain't. If you die, I swear I'll…"

It took everything I had not to run away, like I did when Johnny died. Instead, I stood there like a statue while an ambulance came and took the kid away with the gang following behind. I stayed where I was for a few seconds before walking over to one of the streetlights and sitting down underneath them. I took out a cigarette from my pocket, started smoking it, and tilted my head back to stare at the sky. Despite the actions that happened moments ago, it seemed peaceful. _Yeah, sure is peaceful when the kid might die because he wanted to protect me. Could it be because of what I've been doin' for 'em for the past year?_

I placed my fist against my forehead as my thoughts continued to swirl around in my head. _Stupid kid. I'M the one who's supposed to protect YOU, not the other way around. Ain't it the elders' duty to protect the younger kids? _The cig I was smoking dropped from my fingers as I continued to think. Man, I hadn't thought this much in what felt like years. _Maybe if I hadn't protected 'em that night, he wouldn't have wanted to protect me, but if I hadn't, who knows what would have happened to the kid._

That night a year ago was clear in my head, almost as if it happened yesterday. Maybe it was so clear because it was a night I didn't WANT to forget…

_Dally had no clue why they wanted to send him, of all people, after the kid. Maybe it was because that if he was attacked by Socs, they would run the minute they saw Dallas Winston. Either way, he wasn't complaining. It gave him a new excuse to bust some heads if the kid was attacked by those white trash._

_He took a cig out of his pocket and smoked it as he continued to walk. If he knew Pony as well as he thought he did, the kid probably went to a movie and lost track of time. "Pone should seriously pay attention to the time when he goes to watch movies."_

_Soon enough, Dally saw the kid backed into a corner with three of those Socs surrounding him. He growled and clenched his fists. Did those cowards have no one better to pick on then defenseless kids walking home from a movie?_

"_C'mon grease, we just wanna play…" One of them said, his voice slurred. _

_Dally smirked at that and walked towards them. "I want to play with you bastards as well." _

"_Who the hell are—" One of them started to say, but never finished his sentence as he got punched into a nearby tree. He coughed heavily, looking at the person who was surrounded in darkness. "Who…?"_

_He stepped out into the light and let the Socs see him, with a cigarette between his fingers and a feral smirk on his lips. "Name's Dallas Winston. I'm sure you've heard of me."_

"_Fuck!" The other two Socs cursed as they made a beeline for their car. _

_Before they had the chance to start it, Dally punched both of their lights out and made his way over to Pony, who was staring at him with what could be best described as shock. "Hey Pone. It's a little dangerous to wander around alone at this time of night. God knows why they sent me to look for ya, but I guess it's good they did. Come on, I'll walk ya home."_

_Ponyboy couldn't stop blinking until Dally took off his leather coat and wrapped it around the teen. "What's this for…?"_

"_Ya look cold." was Dally's blunt reply as he took another drag on his cigarette. "Don't expect me to be this nice to ya every day kid."_

_A smile made its way onto Pony's face as he huddled more into the leather jacket. It was rare that Dallas Winston was this nice, but Pony was going to take every bit of niceness Dally was offering him and cherish it. "I know…thanks, Dal."_

_Dally eyed Pony and flashed a smirk at him. "It's fine, Pone."_

_The two walked back to the Curtis house, and it was from that moment on Dally knew that he had to protect the kid from whatever harsh realities the world decided to throw at him._

Ever since then, I always stuck by the kid. When he said he was going to a movie, I said that I'd go with him. I could tell the gang, especially Pone's brothers, were glad that I had taken a sudden interest to protect him. It was probably because that the Socs didn't dare do much when I was around. Maybe a rude comment, but that was about it.

Even when he came back from a movie, I was always there waitin' for 'em with a cig between my fingers and a smirk on my lips. Sometimes Johnny would come with me, and when he did, he and Pone talked casually while I walked ahead of 'em, almost like I was protectin' 'em, which I was. They were the youngest members of our gang, and like hell I was gonna let anything happen to 'em.

I gritted my teeth as reality slapped me in the face. Johnny had died, and I couldn't protect him. The kid might die, and he did it to protect ME. "You stupid kid. If you die, I'll never forgive ya. Ya hear!"

For the first time in years, I felt tears build in my eyes, and I didn't even try to hold them back.

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Chapter 2 is done! I have seriously fallen in love with my own story. Any typos or errors you see, either with characters or spelling, please tell me! Also, odd numbered chapters will be in Pony's P.o.V, while even numbered chapters will be in Dally's P.o.V. Later on in the story, it might change, but that's the setup I'm going with for now.


	3. Silent Moon III: You're worth everything

**A/N: **Thanks to all the positive feedback that you guys are giving me, no matter how small or big the review is. Even if one person likes this, it makes me more inspired to write. So thank you to all who have taken their time to review, or even adding this to their favorite stories /putting it on their alert list. This wouldn't be where it is without you. So thank you.

Thanks to JessieMundaiFan (I always love reading your reviews), xXSadistic BarbieXx, anon reviewer hauntedpumpkin56, and Sharpee for reviewing the previous chapter.

**Warning:** Shounen-ai which may (or may not) develop into Yaoi later on, depending on my mood and how far this goes. Also, OOCness may make itself present in this, but I hope it's not very much. I haven't read the book in nearly a year, so I'm just going from what I remember. The dream I had helped quite a bit, though.

**Pairing: **Dally/Pony, though side pairings may show up later.

Enjoy!

* * *

Silent Moon III: You're worth everything…

My mind was in a clouded haze, half because of the pain and half because of the needles people were sticking in me. I didn't know where I was, but I wasn't worried about myself. I was worried about Dally. Why couldn't I hear his voice? Was he somewhere else? Or maybe… I felt tears build in my eyes at the thought of Dally being an idiot again and putting my efforts to save his life in vain. Maybe I was right that Dally only loved Johnny…maybe I should have left him to be with the only one that he ever loved.

_That isn't going to stop me from protecting him. _My inner voice reminded me, and I agreed with it. Even if Dallas Winston only loved one person, it wasn't going to stop me from protecting him. After all, that's what he's done for me during this past year. He protected me from the Socs, from the harsh realities in the world. He even protected me from fellow greasers. I remembered one night when Dally and I were walking home from the movie house and some drunk out of their heads greasers came up to us. It was the first night I had ever seen Dallas Winston go up against his own.

"_Why do ya always like watchin' that romantic shit?" Dallas asked me, an unlit cig hanging from his mouth as he searched his prize leather jacket for a lighter. "Shit, don't tell me I forget my lighter at Buck's place."_

_I laughed lightly to myself at the dilemma Dally was having. He sent a glare at me, but even that couldn't stop the laughter that passed through my lips. I didn't even want to stop it. It had been ages since I just let go like this and laughed. After my laughing fit had passed, I reached into the pocket of Dal's jacket, and, with a blush, I took out his lighter. "You didn't look very hard, did ya Dal?" I said teasingly._

"_Shut up kid." Ol' Dal replied, snatching the lighter out of my hand and lighting up his cigarette. "How am I supposed ta find anything when it's this fuckin' dark out?" His icy blue eyes focused their attention on me. "Hell, I can't even see ya very well, and you're inches away from me." Even though Dally tried to hide it, I could hear the small nervous edge in his voice. It was so small that you'd have to strain to hear it. "So don't go runnin' off on me. Stay close ta me. Dig?"_

"_Dig." I replied as we continued to walk home. The moon was high up in the sky, casting off its brilliant glow down towards the earth. With the help of the moon, I could see Dallas's face. His eyes looked cold and hard, their attention focused on the path in front of him while the red glow of the cigarette lit his face up even more. His features were the same as his eyes, cold and hard, but when he caught me staring at him, he flashed a smirk and I thought I saw those icy depths soften just a tad._

"_Can't get enough'a me, kid?" Dally joked, but it caused me to blush nonetheless. "Can't blame ya. After all, I'm quite handsome. Wouldn't ya agree?" _

"_Yes, yes." I joked along, causing the hood to smirk wider. I covered up my face, but I didn't even notice when I ran smack bam into someone else. "Oh, I'm sorry."_

"_Watch where you're walkin', ya little brat." A voice spoke, causing me to look up. It looked like someone from Tim Shepard's gang, which caused me to gulp. They weren't exactly the friendliest people in the world. In fact, they were cold, mean, and tuff. They were exactly like Dally, although it was safe to say that they were a little bit worse. I could smell alcohol on his breath, which made me even more nervous then I already was. "Shouldn't ya be runnin' home to your mommy?"_

_I started to back up, but in an instant I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders and I was pulled behind someone. I had completely forgotten that Dally was with me until I heard him sneer "How about ya take a hike before I bash your face in for talkin' to the kid like trash?" _

_Poking my head behind Dallas's back, I could see that the hood had his teeth bared into a snarl, his fist clenched, and a look of rage on his face. I literally thought that he was going to bash the other guy's face in until he ran off. Drunk or not, anyone can tell when you've pissed off Dallas Winston, and when you have, run for your life._

_Dally pinched the bridge of his nose and took a long drag of his cig. "Ol' Tim will probably be on my case tomorrow for threaten' one of his boys like that." His icy eyes turned on me, eyeing me up. I blushed at that, and seeing that I was alright, Dally nodded. "C'mon kid. I don't wanna be out any more than I haveta."_

_For the rest of the walk home, Dally kept his arm around my shoulders. It was almost as if he was protecting me from everything the night could have thrown at us. If I had noticed the look in ol' Dal's eyes, I would have seen that he WAS protecting me from not just the night, but from everything this world would have thrown at me._

I smiled at the memory. I knew that it was the beginning of my falling in love with the icy eyed hood, but that wasn't the only time he had protected me from one of his own.. He had even protected me from my own brother when he was staying over for the night because he had no other place to sleep. No one else would have dared to stand up to my oldest brother, but he had because Darry had yelled at me.

That night was clear in my mind, not only because it was one of the most shocking nights of my life, but also because it made me feel warm when I thought about it.

_I had stayed out late once again because I lost track of time watching movies at the movie house. I wish that I had a better grip on time, because Darry always got on my case when I was past my curfew. I muttered because I was the only one on this side of town with a curfew, but I understood why Darry was how he was. Even though I understood, it didn't mean that I liked it. I hated it. I hated every boundary my oldest brother laid down. It made me feel like I was a little kid._

_I gulped when I noticed that the lights were still on, but I hoped that Darry had gone to bed already. As I stepped into the house, I knew that my wishes were unanswered, for there was my oldest brother sitting in his chair reading a newspaper. What I didn't expect was ol' Dal sprawled out on the couch, shirtless and seemingly uninterested in what was on TV. _

_Hearing the door click, both of them averted their eyes towards me. I had to look hard, but I could see the relief in Dally's eyes, but my brother was a different story. His eyes were burning with anger as he put down the newspaper and approached me. "Ponyboy Michael Curtis, what the HELL were you doing that you didn't decide to come home until midnight?"_

"_I…I was at the movie house, and I…I didn't recognize the time." I tried to explain as I backed away from my oldest brother. "I would have been home on time, but they were playing these movies that I wanted to see, and…"_

"_Don't you dare give me excuses!" Darry roared at me, and I shrunk away even more from my brother's angered gaze. "You know what time you're supposed to be home, and I expect you to be home at that time!"_

"_Give the kid a break." Dally's cool voice interrupted, causing me to look up in alarm. His eyes were burning with defensiveness, and his fist was clenching and unclenching. "Ya know as well as I do that the kid has a bad time with paying attention to what time it is. He's allowed ta have a life, Superman."_

_My oldest brother looked shocked that Dallas was standing up for me, but he wasn't going to back down. "He should get into the habit of paying attention to what time it is, then! I don't want him to end up like me and work all your life or like Soda and drop out of school. He can be something, something that you certainly can't." _

_That was the last straw. No one would insult Dally because of me. "Don't you dare say that about him! He has nothing to do with this, so leave him alone!" They both looked at me, shock on their faces. "You have no right to say that about anyone, Darry! So don't you dare start saying that about Dally when he has nothing to do with this!"_

"_Kid…" Dallas whispered, his face softening a tiny bit. "Ya don't haveta stand up for me. Your bro's right. You can be somethin' that I can't, but that don't mean he can dictate your life, dig?"_

"_Dig." I replied, and I could see the utter shock on my oldest brother's face from the closeness that Dally and I seemed to obtain in such a short amount of time. "Sorry about yellin' at ya."_

_Darry shook his head and ruffled my hair. "Dallas is right, kid brother. I shouldn't dictate your life, but just try to come in on time, okay?"_

_I groaned, but Dally laughed loudly. "That's the best you're gonna get outta Superman, kid!" I shot him a glare, but he caught my head in a headlock and gave me a noggie. "C'mon, don't look so down! Crack a smile!"_

_I grinned and laughed along with him, and through the corner of my eye, I could see Soda poking his head behind the corner with a grin on his face._

It was after that incident I realized Dally and I had grown even closer. We hung out more often with just the two of us, and we always had a laugh together. Dal brought out a side of me that was dormant for quite a while, and in return, I think I had done the same for him. When it was just us, he wasn't the icy cold hood that he was around everyone else. He seemed more…human. His eyes were less cold, his features softened a bit, and he cracked jokes which I always laughed at. He only had the hood persona when we were around others.

I knew it was at that moment that I had fallen head over heels in love with Dallas Winston, and he was worth everything to me.

* * *

I wanted this chapter to show when exactly Pony started falling in love with Dally and why, and I hope that you guys understood that. I had quite a bit of fun writing this chapter.


	4. Silent Moon IV: Face the Truth

**A/N: **I lost my inspiration for a couple of days, but then it came springing back, so here I am. I'm still in love with this, so every review, favorite, and alert means a lot to me, so thank you to all who have done any of the above. Without your support, I wouldn't have written this much.

Thanks to JessieMundaiFan, Sharpee, anon reviewer ilovedallas, and Jasmine James for reviewing the previous chapter.

**Warning:** Shounen-ai which may (or may not) develop into Yaoi later on, depending on my mood and how far this goes. Also, OOCness may make itself present in this, but I hope it's not very much. I haven't read the book in nearly a year, so I'm just going from what I remember. The dream I had helped quite a bit, though.

This chapter contains: Mild swearing.

**Pairing: **Dally/Pony, though side pairings may show up later.

Enjoy!

* * *

Silent Moon IV: Face the Truth

I didn't know how long I stayed in the lot just staring at the stars and smoking a cig. I couldn't go to the hospital with the gang. Why? Simply because that I was the reason the kid was in the hospital to begin with. If he hadn't protected me, I'd most likely be dead yet he'd be safe. It surprised me that all I could think about was Pone. I was supposed ta protect 'em, 'cause I was his elder, ya know? Yet when I thought about it long enough, I realized maybe that wasn't the only reason I was protectin' the kid. He had something I didn't; innocence. I've been on the streets of New York and seen the bad side of life way too early, but that kid ain't seen nothin' of that yet. Pone still had that carefree look on life, despite bein' on the "wrong side of town". It was somethin' I admired yet I was jealous of at the same time 'cause I could never have that outlook on life again. At times, I wish I could have that kinda outlook on life, but its outta my grasp now, so I gotta deal with what I've got.

I placed my fist against my forehead as these thoughts continued ta swirl around in my head. I ain't used to havin' these kinda thoughts and it's makin' my head swim, if ya know what I mean. I had never really thought about the differences between me and the kid, but now that this had happened to 'em, it made me think about how he could lose everything 'cause he was tryin' to protect me. Didn't that kid think that maybe I WANTED ta die? With a sigh, I realized that the kid probably didn't care 'bout what I wanted, just what would make his friends safe. It may cost him his life; that devotion ta keep his friends safe. _And it'll be 'cause of me that he dies._

I hadn't cried in years, yet the thought of Pone dyin' was all it took to make my eyes water. My head was already achin' from my earlier waterworks and I really didn't need (or want) it to get worse. Standing up, I crushed the cig I was smokin' under my foot and walked ta the hospital. I had no choice, 'cause after all, if the kid was gonna die 'cause of me, the least I could do was be there with him on his deathbed. _Stop thinkin' the kid is gonna die! He's stronger than that…_

As much as I told my head that, it wouldn't stop thinkin' about it. It flashed images before my mind; images of the kid lyin' cold and lifeless on a hospital bed, his innocent life stolen from 'em 'cause of me. I could never life with myself if the kid died. Besides feeling moisture in my eyes, I would also feel a strange ache in a place I thought I'd never feel that kinda stuff. My heart. It ached every time the image of the kid dead on the hospital bed flashed before my eyes. I pinched the bridge of my nose as I continued ta walk down to the hospital. I wished I could stop thinkin' these depressing thoughts, but it seemed my head wanted me ta feel like shit. Congratulations head, ya succeeded in makin' me feel like the lowest piece of shit on earth.

As I continued ta walk, a memory flashed before my mind instead of the images I would love ta forget. It gave a nice change of pace, but it made that strange ache in my chest even stronger.

_I leaned against the door of the movie house, smokin' a cig. I would always wait for the kid here, but for some reason, he wasn't here when he said the movie would be over. I felt concerned, which surprised me 'cause I never felt worried 'bout anyone except myself. Shrugging it off that it was just that I felt the kid was like a younger brother, I walked into the movie house. As I scanned the area with my ice cold eyes, I saw that the kid was nowhere in sight. Another strange emotion built in my chest, something which I recognized as panic after a few minutes which surprised me even more than the concern did 'cause I never felt panic except for the time I was in New York years ago._

"_Are ya in here kid!" I yelled, but the only response I got was people lookin' at me strangely. I shot 'em all a cold look and went into where the movie was playing. He wasn't there either. "I swear, if you're playin' a joke on me, you'll be in shit!"_

_Running out, I asked myself why I didn't ask around ta see if anyone had seen the kid. As I gave myself a mental slap for my stupidity, I asked people if they'd seen the kid anywhere. None of 'em were helpful except for one that said someone who looked like Pone was seen with people he thought were friends of his taking him behind the movie house. Cursing, I ran to the back of the movie house where I saw those stupid, obnoxious, pain in the ass white trash…beatin' up on the kid. I could barely contain myself as I punched each of 'em in the head and knelt down to the kid who was panting lightly, his face bloody from a cut on his temple. Other than that injury, he only had a few bruises which I was sure weren't too serious. _

_I easily lifted 'em into my arms as he stared at me with a confused look on his face and in his grey green eyes. "Dal…is that…you?"_

"_It's me kid." I replied as I ran back to the Curtis house. "What the hell happened to ya out there?"_

_Pone leaned his head on my shoulder as he struggled to speak. "I…was gonna walk out to you…but then they grabbed me, dragged me behind…the movie house, and then…started beatin' up on me… Sorry that I made you save me."_

_I was shocked that the kid was sorry about makin' me wait a little longer instead of feelin' resentful that I didn't save 'em earlier. He was always a strange one, I knew that from when I had first met 'em, but he never ceased to amaze me. "I should be sorry that I never saved ya earlier kid. Ya have nothin' to be sorry for, so don't apologize. If anyone should apologize, like I said, it should be me, dig?"_

_The kid simply nodded as I continued runnin' towards the Curtis household. That night, I swore that nothin' like this would ever happen ta the kid again because of my carelessness._

I smirked bitterly as the memory finished playin' in my head because what I swore would never happen again happened. I could have run in front of the kid when he shoved me away, I could have returned the favor and shoved him out of the way, but instead I had just stood there like a fuckin' moron while Pone took the shot that was aimed at me. If I had done somethin', anythin', tonight would have been different, yet I hadn't, and I had ta face the truth about it.

The hospital was finally in my sights and I crushed the cig I had been smokin' under my foot as I walked into the waitin' room. The white walls gave this place a cold feeling of death, a feelin' that I felt before and didn't really bother me till now. Johnny had died in this place, and now Pone could be followin' 'em. _'Cause of me…_

I sat down in one of the chairs away from the others 'cause I didn't really want to deal with their questions and possible concern. I saw the flash of concern in Soda's eyes as I sat down and buried my face in my hands, yet I ignored it. I heard someone make a snide remark, probably Steve, but whoever it was shut up after a minute when someone else said that this wasn't the time ta be actin' like an asshole. Whoever said it, I agreed with 'em silently. Now was not the time to be actin' like ya were king of the fuckin' world. No, it was time to realize that an innocent kid could be lyin' on his deathbed. _'Cause of me…_

That phrase never stopped repeatin' itself in my head every time I thought about Pone. I wish it would 'cause I felt like I was gonna start cryin' again, and I really didn't feel like cryin' in front of the gang. To them, I was the tough as nails and cold as ice hood, but I felt like I couldn't keep up that image for too much longer if that fuckin' phrase kept repeatin' itself in my head. For the first time in years, I felt vulnerable to almost anythin' negative that revolved around the kid, somethin' that scared me. I wasn't used ta feelin' like this, like even one phrase would make me start cryin'.

I couldn't take the stuffy atmosphere in the hospital so I got up and walked out. Outside, I let the tears that I was tryin' so desperately to hide fall from my eyes as I slid down the wall. I pulled my knee up to my chest and laid my head on it as I continued cryin'. It wasn't like I was bawlin', hell no, but I didn't even want to show one tear to anyone in this world. No one had ever made me cry with the knowledge that they might die, but the kid was different, so much different. Every single time that I thought he might die 'cause of me made my heart ache even more and the feelin' that I wanted to cry even stronger. Why? Why was the kid makin' me feel like this?

_Maybe 'cause ya love 'em. _That voice in my head told me, but I shook it off. I couldn't possibly love Pone. It just wasn't possible. Besides, even if I did, I would never get past the barrier that was Superman. I just felt for 'em like I would a brother, and who wouldn't cry if they thought their bro was gonna die?

_Deny, deny, deny. _The annoying voice taunted me and if I could, I would have punched it. Everyone knows that you can't punch a voice, so I tried my best ta block it out. It kept sayin' the same thing, that I was denyin' that I actually loved the kid, and eventually I started ta believe it. It still didn't change the barrier named Superman that I had to get past, so I was fucked. I stood up, wiped my eyes, did my best to hide the signs that I was cryin', and walked into the hospital.

One of those white suits was talkin' to the gang and I wondered why they were lookin' so horrified. The doc shook his head sadly and left the room after a few minutes, so I asked "Why the hell do ya look like you just saw a ghost?"

Soda was the first one to speak, and his voice sounded broken. "Pony…Pony might die…"

My eyes widened in shock. Fuck, no! This couldn't be happenin'! The kid can't die! Not 'cause of me! I clenched my fists, gritted my teeth, and did what my mind was screamin' at me ta do.

I ran as fast as my fuckin' legs would run.

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There's the fourth chapter. My eyes are sore after writing this. I hope this chapter lives up to the other chapters, because I feel like it doesn't for some reason...


	5. Silent Moon V: My Protector

**A/N:** My inspiration became even stronger when I finished watching the movie (the shorter version, but I wish it was long version. Damn download site not having the long one). I mean, come on! Dally says "Pony" as he dies! What more hints to do you need? Okay, fangirling done. I'm also stuck now about whether I should make Pony live or die. What do you guys think?

Thanks to spiritmind675, JessieMundaiFan, Jasmine James, anon reviewer hauntedpumpkin56, spicygurl, and anon reviewer SUZ for reviewing the previous chapter.

**Warning:** Shounen-ai which may (or may not) develop into Yaoi later on, depending on my mood and how far this goes. Also, OOCness may make itself present in this, but I hope it's not very much. I haven't read the book in nearly a year, so I'm just going from what I remember. The dream I had helped quite a bit, though.

This chapter contains: Enough fluff to choke a chicken.

**Pairing: **Dally/Pony, though side pairings may show up later.

Enjoy!

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Silent Moon V: My Protector

My body felt weaker than it ever had before. For some reason, it was easier to breathe, but besides that, I felt weak and pain was surging through every ounce of my body. I felt like I was dying, but I couldn't die, not now! Although I had told Dally that I loved him, I knew that I still had to do things before I died, if I did. I had to talk to Dallas. I just had to. I had to tell him not to do something stupid like he did when Johnny died, I had to tell him to live…I had to tell him so many things. I had to make sure that the love of my life would stay alive if I did depart from this world. I loved him too much to let him die…even the thought made me feel like I was gonna cry. I loved that hood so damn much that it hurt, but it was a type of hurt I would never want to live without. I began to wonder if Dally did love me back, was this what he felt like if he thought that I was gonna die? I didn't want to put him through any kind of pain, but…I would rather my life gone than his.

I had so many good memories with him. The time he protected me from the Socs a year ago, when he protected me from his own, when he protected me from my own brother…he protected me from so much. Every cold reality that was thrown at me, he would throw himself in front of me and shield me from it. To others, he was the ice cold hood who probably didn't even know the meaning of the word "Love". To me, he was my protector, the one that I realized I built my life around ever since he saved me that cool spring night. We would always hang out together, smoke cigs together, joke around, and sometimes when we lost track of time, we would fall asleep in the lot together like Johnny and I did. We would share his prized leather jacket, I would cuddle up to him, and we would sleep. Of course Darry was always mad at me when I returned the next morning, but Dal would coolly explain that I was in the lot with him all night and that I was perfectly safe. My oldest brother didn't like it at first, but he eventually got used to the summer when Dal and I would be out all day and sleep at the lot together.

There was one night when Dal and I were at the park and the Socs came. It reminded me of the time that Bob, Randy, and his gang came to the park when Johnny and I were there. It was something I remembered because it was a time when I had felt nothing could hurt me, not even the Socs, but I also remembered it because I saw just HOW protective Dal was of me.

_Dally and I were on the monkey bars, just sitting on top of them, chatting, and smoking cigs. We were talking about nearly everything, from girls and even about school. I had never thought that Dal was interested in my schooling, but he surprised me when he asked how I was doing. I had told him, to which he responded by giving me a noogie and saying "That's the smartass I know."_

_I had laughed along with his joke and leaned my head on the hood's shoulder, and he ruffled my hair while he continued to smoke on the cig. All of a sudden though, he grabbed me and held me protectively against his chest. I asked "What's goin' on, Dal?" to which he replied "I'll protect ya kid. Just stay near me."_

_He sounded so serious that I peeked over his arm to see a blue mustang slowly crawling into the park. I shivered in fear, but Dally did nothing but whisper that everything would be okay as the Socs climbed out of their car and stumbled around. "Well well, what'dya know? Are we interrupting a tender moment, lovebirds?"_

"_Go fuck yourselves, ya white trash." Dally spat at them, his arms tightening around me. "Before ya really piss me off and things get ugly."_

"_Ooh, I'm so scared." Another Soc slurred, laughing in a drunken manner as he stumbled around. "Why don't ya show us how ugly things can get, but leave your little girlfriend up there? He's pretty for a guy, wouldn't ya say?"_

_Dallas snarled angrily at them and I could feel one of his arms reach for the heater in his leather jacket. I started to tremble more 'cause I really didn't want to get in the middle of Dal blowing people's heads off. I buried my face in his chest, almost like a plea for him to not to do anything. I could feel him jump slightly in surprise, but I felt his hot breath near my ear as he whispered "Relax Pony. I'm not gonna do anythin'. They're too drunk to have fun with, dig?"_

_I nodded shakily and removed my head from his chest as the Soc who taunted Dal started laughing. "Aww, that's so cute, sweethearts! Why don't ya show us more, huh?"_

_Another angry snarl passed through the hood's lips as his eyes narrowed dangerously and darkened in color. I knew what that look meant. It meant that Dally was pissed and ready for action. Without thinking, I grabbed his hand and gave it a hard squeeze, which to my surprise, the hood returned as if to reassure me he wasn't going to do nothin'. _

_I could tell the Socs were enjoying what we were doing by their laughter and snickers. All of a sudden though, Dally jumped down and knocked each of them in the head, which rendered them unconscious. When I asked why he did that, he bluntly replied "I don't need damn Socs goin' around sayin' I was actin' like an overprotective boyfriend. Ruin the rep, ya know?" When he noticed the hurt look in my eyes, he slung his arm casually around my shoulders. "Ya mean a lot to me kid, but I can't have people thinkin' that I turned into a softie. Ya dig, right?"_

_I grinned and leaned my head on Dal's shoulder. "Yeah, I dig. You should be goin'." The hood shot me a confused look, so I rummaged through his jacket and pulled out an invitation. "You got invited to a party, so you should go. I'll head home. See ya tomorrow?"_

"_Nah kid." We started walking to the lot, well, it was more Dally walking because my feet weren't really obeying me at the minute. "I can go ta a party another time. Tonight was rough, so how 'bout we go ta sleep, eh?"_

_The shock at what Dally just said caused me to stumble and nearly trip, but the hood grabbed me with his arm before I could fall forward. "You…you don't want to go to the party? You want to sleep with me?"_

_I assume that Dal's mind went to the other meaning of "sleep" because he began to laugh. I whacked him upside the head, to which he grabbed my head and gave me yet another noogie. "Yeah, I want ta sleep with ya instead of goin' to a party. Is that so wrong?" The sarcasm in his voice made me laugh and the hood grinned. "Thought not."_

_We laughed all the way to the lot, where I sat down in one of the old car seats as Dal started a fire. It illuminated his face beautifully, I thought with a blush slowly creeping onto my face. The orange light mixing with his blonde hair just made him look absolutely stunning, but the light also illuminated his features, making him look even more beautiful. _

_I blushed more as the hood sat down next to me and slung his arm around my shoulders as he always did. He looked down at my face, both confusion and amusement crossing his own. Dal placed the back of his hand against my face and asked "Why are ya so red, kid?"_

"_I, uh…the fire is hot?" I tried to lie, but it never worked with the hood as he raised an eyebrow at me in disbelief. "I swear that's why."_

"_Whatever you say kiddo." Dally replied in a bored tone, leaning back against the car seat, dragging me down with him. "C'mon, you look beat." He slid one arm out of his leather jacket and wrapped it around my slim shoulders. "Go ta sleep."_

_I cuddled against the hood's side, closed my eyes, and eventually drifted off to sleep. If I had stayed awake just one second longer, I would have seen the look of love in Dally's eyes before he also dropped off._

I always thought about that memory when I was feeling alone or even lost. It always comforted me and reminded me that my protector was never far away. That was our routine for the entire summer. Hang around all day at different places, visit my house, go to the park, hang around there, and finally we'd go to the lot where we would fall asleep. The fall wasn't much different. Although I missed the nights of Dally and I sleeping together at the lot, he was at our house after school nearly every day and if he wasn't, he always had a good reason.

In the winter, he chilled at our place more often. I remember one time that Two-Bit came over and Dally and I were in the living room watching some random TV show. The joke he made back then would still make me blush. I don't think it would ever make me NOT blush. Damn Two-Bit.

_It was a cold winters' day as the hood and I were watching some random show. He let me borrow his leather jacket since I was complaining earlier about how cold it was, but now I felt kind of bad that I was using his jacket instead of him. I tried to give it back but Dal said that I needed it more than I did as he smoked a cigarette. He was always looking out for me these days. He showed me a side I never thought existed when no one was around and it suited me just fine. Dal did tell me if I told anyone that he acts the way he does around me that he'll kick my ass, but I wouldn't tell anyone anyway. I would never ruin his rep like that. _

"_Golly, it sure is cold out there!" Two-Bit hollered as he came into the house and, of course, slammed the door. I groaned because I wished that he wouldn't slam the door just once. "Hey, what are you two doin' all cuddled up like that?"_

_Dally shot Two-Bit a cold look while I felt my face go red. "Shut up Matthews."_

"_No seriously. You two look like you're boyfriend and girlfriend, Pony being the girl of course. C'mon, ya look like you wanna ravish 'em on the spot Dal."_

"_You have five seconds ta run before I beat your head in." The hood coolly replied as he stood up. Two-Bit laughed as he ran out the door with Dally following close behind him. My face felt hotter then it ever did in my life. Damn Two-Bit. Damn, damn, damn Two-Bit. _

All of my memories this past year were nothing but good ones thanks to Dally. I didn't want both of us to die 'cause if we did, who would remember those memories? They would vanish into the wind, something that I didn't want happening. I wanted Dally to remember our times together and cherish them if I did pass away. I also didn't want him to die because I loved him too damn much to let him throw his life away because of what I did.

I just had to speak to him…I had to…before my life slipped away into the heavens. I had to tell Dal to cherish our memories, to live, and that I loved him one last time.

"Dally…"

* * *

There's this chapter done. My fingers never stopped typing until I wrote the last line. I have to thank the movie for that. The hints for these two were so obvious that I feel dumb for not noticing them before. I had so much fun writing this chapter!


	6. Silent Moon VI: Voice of the Innocent

**A/N:** It seems a lot of you don't want me to kill Pony off and gave good reasons for me not to. Well, you won't know for sure what my mind decides until the end. Hope you guys stick with me until then!

Thanks to spiritmind675, Jasmine James, spicygurl, JessieMundaiFan, ilovedallas, and The French Orchid for reviewing the previous chapter.

**Warning:** Shounen-ai which may (or may not) develop into Yaoi later on, depending on my mood and how far this goes. Also, OOCness may make itself present in this, but I hope it's not very much. I haven't read the book in nearly a year, so I'm just going from what I remember. The dream I had helped quite a bit, though.

This chapter contains: Very mild swearing.

**Pairing:** Dally/Pony, though side pairings may show up later.

Enjoy!

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Silent Moon VI: Voice of the Innocent

I kept on runnin' and runnin', my legs never allowin' me to stop and take a breather. What Soda told me kept runnin' through my head and seemed to push my legs ta run farther away from the hospital until I found myself at a convenience store. _Why the fuck would I run ta one of these places?_ I asked myself as I walked into the store. There weren't many people there and, looking at the clock, I realized why. It was three in the mornin'. I didn't think it was that late out. All the events that happened tonight seemed ta take only minutes, but in reality, hours had passed. Hours since the kid took a bullet for me, hours that he's been lyin' in a hospital bed, but only minutes ago that I was told he might die 'cause of the bullet that was supposed ta be in me, not him. I clenched my fist and punched the wall, causing the one at the register ta ask me not ta do those kinda things. I didn't bother respondin' to 'em, there was no point ta. All that mattered at this second was that Pony might die at fourteen years of age 'cause of me. An innocent kid who barely saw anythin' of the world and had done nothin' to deserve to die could be 'cause of a no good hood like me.

My mind was in a whirl, screamin' at me ta do somethin' that I know the kid wouldn't want me ta do. Do what I did when Johnny died…just shut down and try ta kill myself. I reached into the back pocket of my jeans to pull out my unloaded heater when a voice so familiar spoke softly in my mind. _Don't…_

I immediately gripped my head at the sound of the voice. It was the kid's voice, sounding so soft yet so filled with pain at the same time. I tried to reach for the heater again, but once again my body disobeyed me because of that one voice whispering softly in my head. _Don't do it…then what I did for you will be worth nothing. I'd die for no reason…_

Die for no reason. Once again I punched the wall, but this time it was hard enough ta leave a dent. Die for no reason…die for no reason. He thought that I was a reason? The kid was more stupid than I thought! I wasn't anyone's reason ta die. I was just some no good hood from New York. I wasn't worth dyin' over; I was NEVER worth dyin' over. No kid who hadn't seen anythin' of the world should think I was a reason for them ta throw their life in front of me to shield mine. That voice still spoke in my head and it felt like the kid himself was standin' here in front of me, his hand stopping mine from grabbin' the unloaded heater and just endin' it all. _I don't want you to die…I never want you to die. I did what I did so that you wouldn't die. So please, don't throw my efforts away. Please…_

Damn kid sounding like he was gonna cry when he said that ta me. Damn him for havin' such an effect on me. Damn him, damn him, damn him. I retracted my hand away from the heater and walked out of the store, but just like that, the kid's voice disappeared from inside my head. I gave myself a mental slap 'cause it was probably just me hearin' things back there. It shouldn't have stopped me from endin' everythin'. Even though I thought that, those words that I heard the kid (or at least his voice) say ta me rang in my ears. If I threw away my life and he died, he would have died for no reason at all. I clenched my fist 'cause I realized that I couldn't die now that Pony protected me from dyin' in the first place. All I could do was live, or at least try my best to. Damn kid for trapping me like this…but in the back of my head, I was almost glad that he did. Deep down, I didn't want ta throw away my life just yet. Maybe someday, but for now, I wanted ta live some more.

I started ta walk back to the hospital, smokin' a cig that I lit up earlier. I took a long drag and breathed out a puff of smoke, which vanished into the wind. Life was like that sometimes. It could vanish into the wind just like a puff of smoke. _Great, here come the depressin' thoughts again. Ah well, as long as I don't cry anymore, I can live with depressin' thoughts. _I ran a hand through my blonde hair which was caked in mud and dried blood. It surprised me for a minute, but then I realized that we had beaten the Socs for good a few hours ago as well. Funny, the rumble seemed days ago, but everything that had happened after that seemed to be minutes ago. I suppose I had pushed the less important things to the back of my mind and focused more on the kid and what could happen.

As I neared the hospital, I took the cig from between my teeth and crushed it under my foot before I walked into the building. I didn't see any of the gang which was surprisin'. Maybe they had been allowed ta see the kid? I shrugged as I sat down in one of the uncomfortable chairs in the waitin' room. I would figure out what happened sooner or later.

It appeared ta be sooner as a doc came out of a room and eyed me. He went back in and I heard talkin'. It sounded like one of the gang, but I brushed it off as I continued smokin' the cig I lit up a few minutes ago. My mind went into its own peaceful universe, rememberin' the times that the kid and I had hung around together, the spring that I saved 'em, to the summer, fall, and winter. I had to say that the summer was my favorite time of year, mainly 'cause I could feel the kid cuddle up ta me as we slept in the lot. It felt nice having his small body curl up ta me and depend on me as we slept…it was an oddly comfortin' feelin', the feelin' that someone else's life was in your hands. It was a scary feeling ta some, but ta me, it was a comfortin' one. Why? 'Cause the kid was important ta me and I was gonna shield 'em from all the bad things this cold world wanted ta throw at 'em…and that he trusted me ta do those things.

I sighed heavily when I realized that I had let the kid down tonight. I was his protector…I was supposed ta protect 'em, but he had protected me tonight when I made a dumb decision. He shouldn't have ta do that but he did. I remembered those words that he spoke ta me before he passed out.

"_You want to know…? I'll tell ya… Even though you're a jackass…I love ya."_

Love. Was it that emotion that made Pony throw himself in front of me? Or was it that he felt he had ta protect me 'cause I protected him for the past year? I was startin' to get another headache from thinkin' about these things and I groaned mentally. I had just gotten over my other headache so I really didn't want another one, but my head seemed ta want to give me another one as I felt the beginnings of one pound in the back of my skull. I put out the cig I was smokin', leaned my head back, and closed my eyes.

My head chose not ta dream, but instead remember another time when I had chased Two-Bit outta the Curtis house 'cause of a stupid comment he made.

_I had chased the moron into the lot, where he laughed even more and said he was sorry. I lit up a cig and snarled "Ya better be sorry. Say somethin' that stupid again and I'll pound ya to the ground where ya stand."_

_Two-Bit gave me a look, somethin' that I didn't really like. I prepared ta tell 'em off when he said "We've all noticed how ya hang around Ponyboy all the time and protect 'em like he's the most important thing in the world. Do ya love 'em or somethin', Dally?"_

_I flicked my ashes onto the ground before takin' a long drag. "Why the fuck would ya think that just 'cause I hang around Pone a lot? He's a good kid and if he wants ta hang around me, let 'em." I noticed the look the wisecracker of the gang gave me and sighed. "Ya don't believe me, do ya?" When he shook his head, I snarled "Why not?"_

"_Why? 'Cause it's so damn obvious!" I blinked in surprise at that. I didn't love the kid. He was just a good friend, almost like a bro, that's all…right? I guess Two-Bit saw the inner fight I was havin', so he went on. "Whenever you two hang around, Pony leans his head on your shoulder and you don't give a damn if he does. If anyone else did that, you'd rip their heads off. Your eyes are different when he's around. They seem to warm up just a little bit. Did you also fail to notice that Pony is a lot happier when you're around?" That honestly surprised me and I assume it showed on my face 'cause the wisecracker said "He's sad when you aren't around, but the second you show your face, he's all smiles."_

_For the first time in a long while, I had nothin' to say back. What could I say back? All I could do was take another drag on my cig before a response came in ta my head. "I'm straight, did ya forget? I like girls. If the kid loves me, he's shit out of luck. We're closer than most friends, but that's all we'll ever be. Good friends."_

_I heard a noise, almost like a sob, and turned my head. Standing there was none other than the kid himself, still wearin' my jacket. His eyes were welled up with tears and before I could say anythin', he was gone._

That was one of the stupidest things I had ever done in my life. I wasn't allowed over to his house for days, but when I finally was allowed over, the kid wouldn't even look at me. He did his best ta stay away from me, somethin' that I remembered I hated. I turned back into the cold hood who didn't give a shit about anythin' the entire week that he didn't talk ta me. Finally, when he did talk ta me, I had grabbed 'em and told 'em that I was sorry that I had ever said such a stupid thing, to which he had hugged me tighter than I had ever been hugged in my life and said he had forgiven me days ago. He had just been avoidin' me because he thought that I was mad at 'em. I could never be mad at Pony, and I told him that myself. That night was spent with us sleepin' together on the couch. It was a good end to a shitty week, I thought to myself.

Thinkin' back on all these memories, I realize that we probably did look like we were in a relationship. Ponyboy, the one who depended on me and clung to me like a lost little puppy, and I, the protector who wouldn't let anythin' happen ta 'em if I could help it. Now I wasn't surprised that Two-Bit had those assumptions that he did that winter.

I felt someone pokin' my shoulder and I wished they'd go away. They didn't 'cause the pokin' kept on comin', so I snarled and opened my eyes to see the second youngest Curtis brother starin' at me. "What'dya want Soda?" I grumbled in annoyance, still half asleep. However, what he told me jerked me awake.

"Ponyboy…he woke up and he wants to see you."

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There's the sixth chapter done for ya. I left such a mean cliffhanger, didn't I?


	7. Silent Moon VII: Always my Protector

**A/N: **I downloaded the long version of the movie (took four freakin' hours, but I did it!) which made my inspiration even stronger. The beginning scene itself was enough to make inspiration get stronger times a thousand. Now I feel really dumb for not noticing the hints for these guys before. I'm sorry that I left such a mean cliffhanger last chapter, but I hope this chapter makes up for my evil doings in the previous one.

Thanks to spiritmind675, JessieMundaiFan, minato4ever, spicygurl, Jasmine James, and Sharpee for reviewing the previous chapter.

**Warning:** Shounen-ai which may (or may not) develop into Yaoi later on, depending on my mood and how far this goes. Also, OOCness may make itself present in this, but I hope it's not very much. I haven't read the book in nearly a year, so I'm just going from what I remember. The dream I had helped quite a bit, though. The movie also helps a lot.

This chapter shows why angst in a genre in this story. Some parts are kind of sad.

**Pairing: **Dally/Pony, though side pairings may show up later.

Enjoy!

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Silent Moon VII: Always my Protector

All my memories seemed to flash before my eyes. I guess it was true, what they said about dying. You saw all your memories flash before your eyes, all of the good times and all of the bad times. I had more good times than bad thanks to a hood with ice blue eyes who stuck his middle finger to the world and I loved him for it. Every little thing that he's done for me this past year was enough to make me die happy. I didn't want to leave my brothers and the gang behind, but it seemed that fate had other plans in store for me. As long as it kept Dallas in this world, then I could take whatever fate threw at me. I just prayed with all my heart that it spared the one I loved. I didn't want all of our memories to vanish into the wind like smoke…it would be a fate worse than death to me. I wanted him to always cherish our memories, to think of all the happy times we had together. The times we laughed, the times we cuddled up and talked, the times when we would watch random movies at the movie house, the times when we would simply walk in silence, no words needing to be spoken, I wanted him to remember all of those times for me because soon I felt like that I wouldn't be here to share those times with him. It was a thought that pained me, but I had no choice in what fate handed me, did I?

I whispered the name of the one person I wanted to see, the only person who made me feel like this. "Dally…"

"Ponyboy?" A voice spoke softly, shock mixed with sadness in the tone. "How you feelin' kiddo?"

I averted my gaze over to the side of the bed where my older brother Soda was staring at me with eyes filled with sadness and pain. His hand was gripping mine almost as if I would disappear if he let my hand go. I wanted to touch him, to wipe away the sadness, the tears in his eyes, but I could do nothing but watch those tears slide down his cheeks. "I…feel like…crap." I managed to whisper, causing my older brother to chuckle sadly. "Don't…feel bad…Soda. Stop…cryin'."

Soda buried his head into the bed and sobbed lightly into the white sheets. "How can I not cry, Pony? You're my little brother, and you could be dyin'! I can't do anything but watch you slip away…I want to do something, anything to make you stay with us, but I can't!" His sobs became louder and I wished I could stroke his hair or do something to reassure him. With great difficulty, I reached out and stroked Soda's messy dark brown hair. "I don't want to lose you honey. I don't…especially not because of that hood. I know you love him, but…"

"You…knew?" I gasped out, causing Soda to grip my hand tighter as I fought to take in more air. "How…?"

My brother laughed sadly as he looked up at me and wiped his eyes. "It was so obvious honey. The way you and Dal always hung around together, the way he would always protect ya, and…it was just so obvious that you guys cared about each other, almost like you were brothers. I watched you guys and saw that brotherly care go into something deeper, something that no one could possibly steal away from you. You had fallen in love with Dallas Winston, kiddo, and I bet my life that he returns those feelings. When I told him that you might die, he ran. None of us know where he went."

My eyes widened in shock and fear. Dally ran away? That was exactly what he did when Johnny died, but that meant…no. He couldn't…he wouldn't. Dal couldn't try to kill himself again like he did last time. I wouldn't let him! It became harder to breathe and Soda told me to calm down while stroking my hair. I vaguely saw someone come into the room, but I didn't realize who it was until I heard the unmistakeable voice of my oldest brother speaking soothing words. After I had calmed myself down as best as I could, I looked over and sure enough, Darry was there with his arm around Soda and a sad smile on his face.

"How you doing kid brother?" he asked me, reaching over and stroking my blonde hair. "Don't go scaring us like that, okay?" I nodded meekly as my brother continued to talk. "What got you so worked up?"

"Dally…I need…to see him." I whispered painfully as I clutched the bedsheets tighter. "I…have to…tell him…something…"

"That you love him, right?" Darry asked, a small smile coming onto his face when he looked at my face (which I'm guessing looked shocked). "Kid brother, I'd have to be blind if I didn't notice how you and Dally gravitate towards each other. It's almost like you balance each other out. You keep Dallas from doing stupid things, like stealing and going after girls, and Dally gives you more motivation to stay in school and something to strive for at the end of the day. You're like two pieces of a puzzle, incomplete without the other."

"Nice comparison, Dar." Soda complimented and I thought about it. Dally and I did complete each other. When I hung around with him, he didn't do as many illegal things. Sure, he would rob the odd store while we were walking, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. When I was in school, I pushed myself to do even better when Dal told me that he was impressed with how smart I was one day. Darry was obviously happy about this, but I had never told him the real reason why. Now I knew that he had probably figured it out way before Dal or I had, Soda as well. I vaguely wondered if the other members of the gang had noticed.

"I see that the blonde monkey woke up." Two-Bit's voice came into the room and the atmosphere seemed to lighten with his happy attitude. "Golly Pony, you sure look like shit. Did you get run over by a bus?"

I laughed, which hurt, but at that moment I didn't really care. It was nice to see that Two-Bit was still the same wisecracker even though I was like this. A few minutes later I saw Steve saunter in and sit down one of the chairs away from my bed. I figured that he was probably here because Soda was. Why else would Steve Randle be in my hospital room? Surely not of his own will. I smiled a little as Two-Bit started to crack jokes about how Dal was actin' like a runaway, but inside I was worried as hell. What if he did something stupid? What if he put my efforts to save his life in vain? So many "what ifs" swam into my mind that I couldn't stop them all. I felt tears prick into the back of my eyes, eventually spilling over. If Dal had done something stupid and died…

"Honey, shh, it's okay." I heard Soda's voice soothe me as his hand once again gripped mine. I felt comforting fingers run through my hair, and I eventually calmed down. Soda still whispered comforting words to me while Darry kept running his fingers through my hair, Steve and Two-Bit remaining quiet. I guess they knew it was a brotherly moment and didn't want to interrupt.

A doctor walked into the room, eyeing us before looking at me. "Ponyboy, was the one you were moaning for in your sleep Dallas Winston?" I nodded vigorously. "He's sitting in the waiting room right now, smoking a cigarette. I swear he never learns that you're not supposed to smoke a lot in hospitals."

"Dally…Dally is here?" I gasped out as I sat up. He was so close that I just had to see him. Darry pushed me back down onto the bed gently and I looked at Soda pleadingly. "Soda…can you…get Dally in here…? Please…"

"Stay right here honey." Soda told me as he ran out of the room. I laid my head on the pillow and closed my eyes. Dally was here…he was coming. That thought comforted me so much that I felt sleep beginning to poke at me, but I was instantly jerked awake at the sound of his voice, the voice I wanted to hear so badly.

"Pony…?" Dally whispered and I looked over at him. He looked like he'd been crying, something that surprised me. I didn't think Dal ever cried. I reached out to him and he gripped my hand. "How ya feelin' kid?"

"Better…now that…you're here." I replied in a quiet tone as Dally sat in the chair closest to my bed. The others took the hint and left the room, leaving us alone. "You didn't…do something…stupid, did you?"

"…I wanted ta." The hood admitted, gripping my hand tighter when my eyes went wide with panic. "I didn't though, 'cause I heard your voice tellin' me not ta do something that I knew ya wouldn't want me ta do." Dally sighed heavily and I swore I could see tears prickling in his icy blue eyes. "Pony, you can't die. I can't lose both you and Johnny in the same night. I can't…"

For the first time in my life, I saw tears slide down Dally's face. I was shocked to the core because I thought Dal was one of those hoods who couldn't cry even if he wanted to, but seeing him right now crying in front of me proved that theory wrong. I reached out and gently wiped away the tears hiding in the hood's eyes. "Don't cry…Dally. It's weird…seein' you cry. It's a…good weird…though." I smiled as Dally grinned at what I said. "But…can you promise me this?"

The hood wiped at his eyes, looking embarrassed. I guess that it was the first time he had ever cried in front of someone. Dal gripped my hand tighter as he said "Always kid."

I smiled and returned the pressure as strong as I could. "Promise me…that you won't…die if I do." I was briefly surprised to see the look of pain flash across Dally's face, but I continued. "Someone…needs to remember…all of our memories. If I die…you have to remember them. You're the…only one who could." I used my free hand to run my fingers through the hood's hair. "Promise me…that. It's all…I ask."

"Dammit kid, you're actin' like you're on your deathbed!" Dal exclaimed as he grabbed me and crushed me to his chest. "You ain't dyin' on me, ya hear? Yer never gonna die on me. I said I'd protect ya, so I'm gonna. I'm gonna protect ya from this and whatever else this fuckin' world wants ta throw at ya. I'll always protect ya, Pone. Always and forever till the day I'm dead. Never forget that kid."

I buried my face in Dally's shoulder, feeling more comfortable than I had in a long time. The feeling of being so safe, so warm, so loved was a feeling that I never wanted to go away. I felt wetness on my neck so I once again ran my fingers through the hood's hair to reassure him that everything was gonna be alright. It was strange, me comforting him. It was usually the other way around. I loved being able to soothe the one I loved like this. Now I could truly die happy.

"I should have told ya this earlier kid…" Dally whispered against my neck, sending shivers up my spine. "I should have told ya what I'm gonna tell ya ages ago. You do somethin' ta me that no one else has ever been able ta do. When I'm with ya, I feel like I can stop bein' the tough hood. It feels like I can be myself around ya and ya won't do anythin' about it. Those times we've hung out together this past year were the best memories of my life. I can't thank ya enough for that, Pony…and I love ya. More than I thought I could ever love a person. So don't ya dare die on me. Don't. you. dare."

I felt truly content at the words Dal spoke. He loved me, just as much as I loved him. I smiled and buried my face in his neck, but at the same time, I could feel my strength slowly slipping. I fought to stay awake 'cause I couldn't fall asleep, not now. There were still so many things I had to tell him…too many things…

As much as I fought it, I fell into the blissful nothingness of sleep.

_The darkness of my mind was strange, almost comforting. I guess this is what everyone saw as their life was about to slip away. Once again, all of my memories flashed before my eyes…mainly memories of this past year. All of the good times Dal and I had, the time Darry hit me, the time at the church, Johnny…all of those memories were oddly soothing to me. I knew that my soul would always remember these memories, even though my body wouldn't exist anymore. My oldest brother was right, Dally and I had something that no one could take away from us, not even Death himself._

_I saw the white light before I felt it pulling me into its depths. I guess this was the end, this was goodbye…I still hadn't told Dally all I wanted to tell him, but I told him the most important things…I guess that was good enough._

_Just before I was enveloped into the white light, I felt something pulling me back. I was confused…wasn't this the end? The pull became even stronger on my arm and soon enough, I was pulled out of the white light and back into the black nothingness of my mind. I vaguely wondered what was going on until my eyes opened against my will. I wanted to sleep some more…_

I grudgingly opened my eyes to see the whole gang staring at me with an emotion that could be best described as relief. Soda looked like he'd been cryin' a lot for some reason, and the others save for Steve looked like they were close to what Soda had done, even Darry which surprised me. What in the world had happened that everyone was gonna cry about it?

"Kid, if you ever pull a stunt like that again I'm gonna kill ya!" I heard the hood's voice scold me and when I looked over, I saw a few tears hiding in his eyes. True to form he wasn't showing them, but I could tell that it was taking a lot of effort for him to hold them back. "We lost ya for a few minutes there!" He grabbed me and held me close to his chest. "Don't ever do that again."

I…died? So that's what was going on when I had fallen asleep. Fate had tried to take me, but something, or someone had pulled me out of the white light before it had completely engulfed me. I guess for the few seconds (or minutes) I was in it, I was…dead. It was a scary thought, but it didn't take me and that was all I cared about. I was here with the one I loved, my family, and my friends, so that was all that really mattered.

"This wouldn't be happenin' if the moron didn't take a bullet—" I heard someone start to say, but whoever it was shut up after Dally said "Shut the fuck up or I'll beat yer head in where ya stand, Randle."

That shut him up pretty fast, but it didn't surprise me. If Dallas Winston threatened you like that, you'd better do as he said or you'd really get a beating. I smiled 'cause I felt like I had for the past year. Safe, protected, and loved. It was a feelin' that would never get old 'cause it was a feelin' that I always cherished.

That night, Dal had "convinced" the hospital staff to let him sleep with me. He climbed into the hospital bed as I cuddled up to him and I eventually drifted off to sleep. The last thing I heard was Dally whispering "I love ya Pone…more than ya can imagine, and I'll protect ya from death. I give ya my word."

A word that I knew he would never break.

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Wow, my longest chapter yet! A little over three thousand words. I hope that this made up for the mean cliffhanger I left last chapter. I started typing this up at 4 in the morning, didn't stop until 5, then started typing it again when I got up at 2 and never finished until now, which is 3 in the afternoon. Four hours this chapter took.


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